MEN’S HOCKEY: Comeback tie in home opener

Yale come close to pulling out a win in an enthralling home opener on Friday night. But the Bulldogs could not put the game away over the final 25 minutes of hockey, settling for a 3–3 tie with St. Lawrence.

In a pregame ceremony, the team unveiled last year’s national championship banner to the cheers of a sellout crowd of 3,500 assembled at Ingalls Rink.

But when the action began on the ice, the Saints struck first. With the Yale defense overextended, St. Lawrence forward Sean McGovern deflected the puck into the net to cap a two-on-two situation just 5:30 into the initial period.

With 4:08 remaining in the period, a failed Bulldog defensive clearance gave the puck to one of the nation’s most dangerous skaters. St. Lawrence’s Greg Carey took care of business, and his shot gave the Saints a 2-0 lead, stunning the Yale faithful at Ingalls.

Near the end of the frame, however, the Bulldogs managed to generate some offense of their own. Captain Jesse Root ’14 deflected a slapshot from forward Kenny Agostino ’14 into the net to narrow the lead to one.

Early in the second period, the Bulldogs took a costly penalty as defenseman Tommy Fallen ’15 was whistled for holding. The ensuing power play resulted in a slapshot goal for Justin Baker at the 4:37 mark.

Fortunately for Yale, a St. Lawrence penalty helped keep the Elis in the game. On a power play, forward Anthony Day ’15 found the upper edge of the goal while falling down to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Just before the end of the second period, defenseman Rob O’Gara ’16 delivered the equalizer. After an elbowing penalty on the Saints’ freshman sensation Matt Carey, O’Gara managed to poke home a shot amid traffic in front of the goal with just one second left on the clock, tying the game at three goals apiece.

The final 25 minutes of hockey, comprising the third period and five-minute sudden death overtime, were intense, but produced no scores for either squad. Goaltender Alex Lyon ’17 made a few fantastic saves, finishing with 29 in his home debut.

Yale looks to get back to its winning ways on Saturday night when it plays No. 17 Clarkson. The puck drops at 7 p.m. at Ingalls.